Prop balancing.

xbrute · Apr 22, 2016

Is balancing the props a must do?

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Mark The Droner · Apr 22, 2016

I think that's a matter of opinion. I'm sure there are people in this world who have never done it and think everything is fine, but if you care about your aircraft, you'd want to do it every so often since it certainly will reduce vibration (i.e. wear and tear).

msinger · Apr 22, 2016

It's not a must do, but it's a great idea. Here's a good video showing how to do it:

alokbhargava · Apr 22, 2016

It is advisable to balance props before using them to reduced unwanted vibrations. Just think of wheel balancing on your car.

StratocasterDave · Apr 22, 2016

I find they are balanced right out of the box. I still check to be sure though.

msinger · Apr 22, 2016

StratocasterDave said:
I find they are balanced right out of the box.

You must have all of the luck. About 50% of my props are usually just a bit off balance right out of the box.

MikeyOnline · Apr 22, 2016

msinger said:
You must have all of the luck. About 50% of my props are usually just a bit off balance right out of the box.

Plucked 2 silvers and 2 blacks out of the bag at random when I first got it. 3 out of 4 were out of balance. I have the balancer (same one pictured above) so I figured might as well. Not a hint of jello and it flies like a dream!

Mike

Prylar Bek · Apr 22, 2016

xbrute said:
Is balancing the props a must do?

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No. I have had several pairs for both my P3 and Inspire and purchased the balancer and never, ever once was any of them out of balance

Royr1957 · May 12, 2016

I'm pretty new to all of this. I have about 8 hours of flying my P3A. I bought a balancer and found that I could improve the balance on all four props. What really surprised me was the immediate and noticeable difference. There is a significant reduction in the sound and I think I've seen about a 10% speed improvement on forward flight. Maybe I'm imagining but.. I don't think so. The prop balancing was very worth the time, cost and effort to me. I got the DuoBro balancer and the extra rod for the P3 props. I used a black marker to mark the end of the rod that is used on the black domed props. I set up the balancer on a very level surface.

mikesmiley · May 12, 2016

The stock plastic/nylon props are very, very close to balanced, but not perfect. I've yet to find one that couldn't be improved with a small piece of scotch tape on top.

The genuine DJI carbon fiber props are not even close. They all need work.

4wd · May 12, 2016

You only need buy the rod and with a can or glass on a level surface check them both ways.
I've had a P1, P2V+ and P3P - all the supplied props were better after balancing, DJIs own carbon props bought separately were the same.

Symptoms are subtle jello in the video when using higher throttle or fighting wind.
If recorded footage is doing this after being smoothed by gimbal and rubber dampeners, the arms are going through hell - and it must increase the chance of cracking.

AlexSP · May 12, 2016

mikesmiley said:
The stock plastic/nylon props are very, very close to balanced, but not perfect. I've yet to find one that couldn't be improved with a small piece of scotch tape on top.

The genuine DJI carbon fiber props are not even close. They all need work.

That's also my experience, precisely. Nylon ones need small touch, CF reinforced need more work.

SteveAikens · May 12, 2016

Every prop that I have used has been balanced. The spares in my case have been balanced. I have a box with several pairs of new props - waiting to be balanced. Alok's comparison to a car tire is dead on. Can you fly without balancing, sure. Can you fly, care for the P3, take better video and take photos better if you balance - yes.

Considering how easy it is to prevent potential issues by using balanced components - why would you not do so?

kenjancef · May 12, 2016

Ok, here a debate question:

Tape or sanding?

msinger · May 12, 2016

I like to stick clear Scotch tape on the bottom of the props.

kenjancef · May 12, 2016

msinger said:
I like to stick clear Scotch tape on the bottom of the props.

I've done both sanding and tape, but haven't balanced my P3P props yet (just bought it...). In the past with my other quads I've used tape, but sanding works just as well.

SteveAikens · May 12, 2016

I sand if the out of balance is the blades, I use clear nail polish or super glue if it's at the hub.

kenjancef · May 12, 2016

SteveAikens said:
I sand if the out of balance is the blades, I use clear nail polish or super glue if it's at the hub.

How can you tell if it's at the hub? I have a Dubro balancer, not too familiar with the finer points of it...

Dounin Front · May 12, 2016

Prylar Bek said:
No. I have had several pairs for both my P3 and Inspire and purchased the balancer and never, ever once was any of them out of balance

There must be too much resistance in the wheels of your balancer. Most DJI props need a little weight added, but I haven't seen a really bad one yet.

SteveAikens · May 12, 2016

This will help.

I've seen some that were pretty bad. I use the Du-bro balancer as well but also have their proper-sized CNC machined rod that has threads for both props. It does make a difference